Dickens, Charles.

12mo (163 x 103mm.), first edition, first issue,  with 12-13mm. between closest points of blindstamping and gold wreath on upper cover, the "D" of "Dickens" unbroken and unrevised text, engraved frontispiece and 3 plates coloured by hand and 4 woodcuts in the text all by John Leech, "STAVE I" on p.1, red and blue title page, half-title and verso of title printed in blue, green endpapers, 2pp. of advertisements at the end, original cinammon vertically-waved cloth, stamped in blind and gilt, all edges gilt, nineteenth-century ownership signatures on front endpaper, preserved in matching red cloth folding box, a remarkably fine copy

Smith II:4

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A beautiful copy of the first edition of Dickens' perennially popular novella, which almost single-handedly reinvented the modern idea of Christmas.

The various issues and states of A Christmas Carol have been argued over for generations, but the most comprehensive and cogent account is now generally accepted to be William B. Todd's "Dickens's Christmas Carol" (The Book Collector, 10, Winter 1961), synthesised by Walter E. Smith in his bibliography Charles Dickens in the Original Cloth (Los Angeles, 1983). The present copy conforms to Todd's first edition, first impression, first issue (see Smith II, p.27),